StowAWay
by HeavensMusical
Summary: Young Cody Laurence stow's away on the shuttle out to Von Doom's space center and get's hit by the cosmic storm. Story unfolds as the movie progresses with additional input from the young heroine. Romance.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fantastic Four, Marvel comics owns all rights and proprieties of it since 1961 and Fantastic Four's comic creation. Any idea's expressed throughout the fanfiction are completely my own, and do not reflect upon Marvel comic's views. Also any new characters belong solely to me and some of the plot line is mine.

**Author's Note**: The quote of the day is: "He (as in Paul Martin) during the final days of the Liberal reign, is trying to dig to the bottom of the issue…Unfortunately, he is using a plastic shovel." Just a little Canadian humor eh?

Now that that is out of my system, let's get on with story shall we. I have added my own character Cody Laurence into the story, and events and sequences will follow similarly to the movie's plot line. The major factor will be of a new Superhero.

If you have any comments, feel free to email them to Also, reviews are appreciated, but if you are going to extremely critique please send to the email, and I will respond. Also, I do like those little fluffy reviews, I just can't seem to get enough of them, and they make my day even so much better. I tend to work better and faster when I have something to look forward to. So please read and review! Thank-you, and now onto Chapter 1.

**Chapter 1: A Stow-a-way**

The machine bleeped out the names of the five occupants as the space shuttle came out into the landing zone. As the side bars swung out to catch the shuttle, it read:

_Reed Richards_

_Ben Grimm_

_Victor Von Doom_

_Susan Storm_

_Johnny Storm_

All five occupants were safely checked into the space center, as they exited the shuttle where the rough ride had taken place.

"You call that driving Johnny? When I was your superior I would have flunked you out of school." An aggravated Ben Grimm stormed out as he walked through the chambers into the observation deck.

"Too bad for you old man, Von Doom Enterprises hired me, and they would only hire the best. So what does that make you?" Johnny Storm retorted as he swung his gear onto a passing chair, dropping it down carelessly.

"Oh just shut your mouth before I have to hurt you." Ben said as he walked past, brushing Johnny, and sending him spiraling to the floor with a well placed bump. "Whoops, now did I do that?" Chuckling, Ben moved towards the doorway, and looked down at the fuming young tyke. Shaking his head, Ben stared for a moment then turned and walked away.

"You're going to pay for that old man…" Johnny said as he made a mad dash after Ben, pulling himself off up of the floor. Soon he found himself on the hot trail of his old boss with plans of revenge running through his mind.

Just as Johnny took off, Susan Storm, walked in, Reed Richards following closely behind her. Holding out her hand to stop Reed, she called out after the diminishing figure of her brother, irritation clearly evident in her voice. "Johnny, stop. This isn't the time for games, try to be serious." Susan said as she walked in. Looking over at Reed, Susan sighed. She still had a long way to go on the path to recovery since their break up two years ago, and although time had passed, the wounds on her fragile heart had not healed. Apparently, time had healed Reed's heart, even after she had walked away from him, as he seemed disinterested in her as a woman. She was just another scientist to him, while to her, he was the one who had broken her heart.

"Ok people, here's the plan." Reed announced to everyone. "The space storm is going to hit within seven hours, so let's get setting up. No horse playing." That last comment was directed to Johnny, as Reed narrowed his eyes, and pinned him with a glare, as he walked in slightly breathless. "Everyone lets go to their stations, the storm will hit in approximately 7 hours from now."

With that being said, everyone dispersed, leaving the observation room alone, in all of its cold, unfeeling glory.

**Meanwhile….**

Unbeknownst to the Doctor Reed Richards and all of the other company aboard the space center, another person had boarded the shuttle to the space shuttle, stowing away, during the rough take off, by the inexperienced Johnny Storm. As the shuttle jostled and tossed, adjusting to the boosters provided by the jets, a ruffled Cody Laurence was sitting back, wishing to high heaven that the ride from hell would be soon over. Fortunately for her, the shuttle had just landed at the space station, giving her reprieve for her tender and fragile stomach.

Now Cody wasn't the type to normally do sneak aboard a space shuttle destined for a remote space center. In fact, she was a high honor's student at NYU, in her second year of university, as a theology major. She had heard about Dr. Richard's theory in her theology class, and how his possible theory and study of human DNA could possibly cure the diseases for the sick. Intrigued she had formulated a plan to become part of the mission whether he liked it or not.

Somewhere deep inside, she knew that she should have gone through the proper channels, and seen if they would accept a University Student, but that would have taken too long. With the launch scheduled for a week, the proper channels would have taken at least a month. There were interviews that needed to be set up, reviews which had to be looked at, and everything else. It would have taken months at least to get through all the politically correct ways.

With a few bribes here and there, and pulling in quite a few favors from the guards and lab assistants, Cody had managed to be smuggled on board the shuttle, in the suit that was made for the astronauts. After a bumpy start, she after all was without the proper seat belts and safety measures, the ride seemed to be fine. Her elbow and knee's took most of the crashing and banging, but other than that, she was doing pretty well. Unfortunately for her, Cody was housed in a tiny closet located in the rear end of the shuttle, and it was boiling hot. Not to mention her fear of tiny spaces made the journey one to be remembered and dreaded for the rest of her life. She was never going to stow away on a space ship ever again. Well as long as she could help it anyways.

When the shuttle was docked at the space station, Cody breathed a giant sigh of relief. Only the part where she waited for the other five occupants to leave was next, and that was only going to take a few more moments. She would soon be free of her gilded and boiling cage, and get off the god forsaken ship.

Finally, the crew exited the space ship, and Cody stumbled out of closet, breathing heavily, sweat staining her forehead. "Thank-God it's over…" She moaned as she shakily got up placing her hands on the walls of the shuttle. "Next time, I fly first class, not coach…" Her stomach did a few flips as she tentatively took a few steps, and she groaned. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

As she made her way towards the hull of the space shuttle, she looked over at the seemingly thousands of knobs and buttons with awe. Only in her wildest dreams had she thought of ever being in a space ship, so the first part of her childhood dream was coming true. The temptation to run up and push a couple of the button's was immense, but common sense stopped her. She didn't want to be found out, heaven know's what Victor Von Doom would do to her… That man was ruthless, and from what she had heard of him she did not want to get mixed in with his type. Finally, she reached the exit of the shuttle and stepped out, into the space center.

"Ok…Coast is clear… Now its time for me to find a place where I can hide out till I see Dr. Richards, and explain why I'm here." Cody mumbled to herself, as she looked around for any incoming persona. Quickly, she stepped out of the pathway, and headed down the first hallway that she could find until she saw Johnny Storm walking down the path right in front of her, his walk a confident swagger. "Oh shit!" She murmured to herself, as she quickly dodged down a corridor to her left. "Why did he have to come down this hallway?"

Unfortunately for her, Johnny looked up and spotted her, a confused look upon his face. There was another woman on the station, and he was sure that that wasn't right. Looking again, he took in another eyeful. She had long straight waist-length blonde hair, the suits that everyone was wearing formed over her body nicely, emphasizing her small hips, perky breasts and petite frame. A duffle bag was slung over her shoulder, and her facial expression was one of shocked horror.

Turning quickly, Cody began to run down the hallway, the only intent was to get away and hide from the young man. Unfortunately for her Johnny called out to her, and he knew that she was sunk with her plan of not to be discovered.

Before Cody could get any further away, she found her arms pinned against the wall, her chest inches away from Johnny's. "Dammit, he's quicker than I thought." Cody thought to herself, as she looked for away to get out of the situation. Slowly, she closed her eyes, and she could feel the sensations that her body was betraying. To add to the problem her thoughts had turned away from the innocent. "He smells so good…Wait? What am I thinking? It's time to get myself out of this situation, and away from this man."

"Who are you? And why are you on the space center?" Johnny questioned his face close to Cody's. When Cody didn't answer, he shook her slightly, just to get her attention. "Look, I'm no big on rules, but even I know that there is only supposed to be five people on this center. Six is a problem. So just co-operate with me and all will be fine."

At that moment, all of the false bravado that she had had during the rocky space shuttle ride and at the moment on entering the space shuttle disappeared. She was actually frightened of what would happen to her. Still Cody stiffened her spine and spoke up. Cody wasn't the type of character that would normally back down from a challenge, and she wasn't going to start now, even if she was in danger and had broken several laws to get to this place.

"My name is Cody." She stated simply, looking up at him. "Now would you kindly release my arms, or I'm afraid that you will be performing first aid soon, because all the blood has drained from them and I'm going to faint. Its your choice really."

"Well Cody, looks like you have successfully snuck onto a space station. Now let's head back to the observation room, where Doctor Reed can handle you." Johnny said, as he brought her arms down from above her head, and placed them behind her, still hanging onto them. "I'll keep a hold of you till I find out what Reed says to do about you."

With that being said, Johnny Storm and Cody Laurence walked down the long narrow hallways of the space station. Each of them caught up in their thoughts, silence surrounded them, the only sound being the clanking of their shoes on the metal floors.

**In the observation room…..**

"Oh for Christ's sake Johnny, you brought a stow-a-way onto the ship?" Susan screeched as she stomped up and down the aisle. "How can we trust you? This mission is a huge undertaking for Von Doom Enterprises. You do realize that you and I could get fired? Do you know what that would do to my professional credibility?? You never think about the consequences! When are you ever going to grow up?"

Johnny hung his head low breathing in and out slowly getting slightly even more angered at his sister's constant tirade. "For the last time Susie, I told you I found her on board the space station itself! I didn't place her on the ship to sneak her up to space. What do I look like?"

"A moron." Came the sly remark from Ben Grimm who had been silent until now. "But that's another issue in itself. What we need to know is what to do with the girl. She doesn't look much older than 23. What do you think Reed?"

Cody looked back from Susan to Johnny, and then from Ben to Dr. Reed, in horror. They were discussing her like she wasn't even there. Just as Reed was about to speak, Cody cut in saying what was on her mind. "Look, I don't even know this hot head over here, so all of you can ditch the idea of me and him being together. And beside the point, he's not even my type, so ergo why would I become involved in a confident pig like him? Unfortunately, he was the one who found me, that's it, that's all. I snuck on the space ship myself." Cody said, her temper flaring. "Oh and by the way….I'm not just some girl. I'm Cody Laurence, of New York City. I'm attending NYU as a theology major, with a minor in biophysics."

Doctor Reed Richards sat back in his chair, watching the scene play out. That girl had spunk all right, but never mind the fact that she snuck aboard a highly screened space shuttle. Still she had to be given her dues. Not many could attempt that feat and even fewer would actually succeed. While the bickering commenced, Reed figured that it was time to stop it, before an all and out war happened. Especially with the way Susan was heating up…Johnny would be dead within the short trip, and there would be one satisfied Ben Grimm on the way back into earth.

"Cody Laurence of NYC, you have just committed several offenses. Trespassing, violation of property, and theft of property…The list goes on and on." Reed spoke up for the first time, gaining the attention of the group. "However, seeing as you are up here, and we have a mission to complete, I would think that it would detrimental to the mission, if we let this take over. As the result, Cody, you will be posted with me, and the rest of you, go about your business. We have less than 7 hours before the cosmic storm takes place."

Everyone nodded their heads, and left the observation room, all for that is Cody and Dr Reed Richards, her idol. "Dr Richards…" Cody said, loosing the attitude. When he looked over at her, she continued on. "I'm sorry that I've caused a problem. I only wanted to see if you're theory would work. When I attended your seminar at the University, I was amazed and intrigued about your theories, and I've studied your work extensively."

Reed looked over towards Cody with a quizzical stare, frowned for a moment, and then the lights came up into his eyes, as recognition dawned on him. "You are the student from that day seminar. The one on recombinant DNA, and how possibly they control the way people age, develop, and control disease, right?" At Cody's nod, Reed smiled and started to continue on, when a beeping noise interrupted him.

Quickly, he crossed towards the computer with Cody by his side, and took a look on the screen, his once happy face, falling quickly as he processed the information on the screen. "That can't be right…" Reed muttered to himself, as he double checked the screen again. "The cosmic storm shouldn't have…It wasn't supposed to start for another 6 hours."

Concerned, Cody looked over at the screen, and watched the 3-D demonstration. When the machine beeped out "6 minutes till cosmic storm hits" it dawned on her, that this was not going as planned. All of the occupants of the space station were in grave danger.

"What should I do?" Cody asked, looking over at Reed, waiting anxiously.

"Go find Ben and tell him to get into the observation center quickly. We have less than 6 minutes till the storm hits, and the shields should protect us." Reed said quickly, as he continued to monitor the screen and watch the storms progress. "They are by the north wing, setting up for the experiment."

Cody nodded her head, and quickly ran towards the north wing, running into Johnny, who was with Ben.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on girly!" Johnny said as he caught Cody in his arms. "What's the problem babe?"

Cody looked up at Johnny and shot a sour face at him. Babe was not one of her more favorite nick names after a bad experience in a relationship. "The cosmic storm is going to hit within then next five minutes. Where's Ben?" She explained and looked around and saw him outside the space station. "Good God, get him in!!"

Johnny's face turned pale as a ghost and he looked outside the space center. There was Ben, placing the experimental flower out on its post, the red rays of the cosmic storm looming behind him. Quickly, he lunged for the headset and started to contact Ben.

"Twinkletoes, look behind you!" Johnny said quickly into the microphone. When Ben turned around he continued. "Get in here quick! You're going to have to jump!"

Ben nodded his head, and took in a deep steadying breath. "Ok…Just breathe. Remember those relaxation yoga classes that I took….Breathe in and breathe out…." A few moments later, Ben launched himself across the bridge that gapped between him and safety.

Unfortunately, for Ben, Cody, and Johnny, they didn't make it to the observation deck where the shields were in time before the storm hit. All three were still in the North wing, as the cosmic rays hit. The only person who was in the observation deck was Victor Von Doom, who had inadvertently, overheard the conversation between Cody and Reed, and had sealed himself in, locking the door.

As the storm first hit, Johnny and Cody were holding onto each other, in terror, the impeding doom of the situation forcing them closer together. Once the storms cosmic rays touched Cody's skin she at first felt the icy coolness of a blizzard, then the scorching heat of the sun. Each single element combined hit her skin, and burned, froze, lashed, and struck her body. The pain was excruciating. That feeling stayed for what felt like hours, and when Cody could tolerate the pain no longer, she passed out, falling deeper and deeper into oblivion, and the peacefulness that accompanied unconsciousness; her mind finally at rest.

**Later on, back on earth….**

Cody slowly woke up, blinking her eyes to get rid of the blurriness that one gets after sleeping for a while. Her body felt like she had just been run over by a brigade of semi trucks, and after that tossed around in a mosh pit, during a Metallica concert. Every single spot on her body ached, and she groaned a little as she tried to move. Not the best idea that she'd ever had in her life, but hey she was still young, she was entitled to a few stupid mistakes in her life. As she took in her surroundings, she looked over towards the edge of her bed and saw Susan Storm sitting beside her bed, holding her hand.

"Susan?" Cody croaked out, her voice very clogged and hoarse. "What's going on? Where are we? Still on the space center?"

Susan, who had been drifting off into sleep, jolted up, her eyes flashing open as she heard Cody speak, then looked over towards her. "It's Sue please. I feel old when people call me that." Sue corrected, and smiled over at her. "We're not on the space center anymore we're back here on earth. Relax, we're safe for now. Victor's doctors put all of us under quarantine till we finish our tests and all that. They wanted to make sure that the radiation that we've been exposed to didn't cause any diseases. You've been out for four days."

Cody nodded her head, and felt a sudden chill go down her spine, combined with a jolt of heat. As she moved her muscles, to get rid of the stiffness, she yawned. Ok, maybe she shouldn't be feeling tired after sleeping for four days, but she still was. Interrupting her thoughts was her stomach as it gurgled and churned, speaking to her that she should be eating soon, or to be fearing its wrath if it wasn't fed. Something that she didn't want to do at the moment, an angry stomach meant an hour of trouble.

"I guess I better eat eh?" Cody said, sheepishly smiling as she sat up in bed. Looking over to the clock, she noticed that it was almost noon, time for lunch. "Care to join me for lunch?"

Sue nodded her head. "Sure, everyone's going to be down there around 12:30, so I'll leave you to get dressed."With that being said, Sue got up from the chair beside the bed and walked towards the door. "I'll see you soon." Turning around, she paused as she opened the door. "Oh and by the way, everyone is wondering how you are doing. You're the last one to wake up. Ben just woke up yesterday, and everyone's been taking turns waiting for you to awaken."

Cody nodded her head and smiled. "Thanks Sue, I'll see you all out there within a minute." After a moment of thought, Cody shuddered at the thought of Johnny Storm in the room while she remained unconscious. That lecher was probably ogling or doing something perverted while she remained out of it.

And with that being said, Cody got up from the bed, mindful of the bare back of the hospital clothing as she felt the wisps of a breeze. Sighing, she walked over towards the dresser in the corner and smiled as she saw her favorite flower, a white rose, looking up at her from the dresser. With good spirits, she grabbed a pair of light jeans, and an aqua top that had a single strap, from the dresser and slid into them.

Then she looked in the mirror at her reflection, her blonde hair tangled and messy, ratty from three day's of sleep….And it was now sporting blue streaks! "What the?" Cody said as she gingerly picked up a piece of the blue strand. "What happened to my hair?" Slowly, she ran her fingers over the strands and tested the smoothness, and was shocked to feel that it still remained smooth, like natural hair. Puzzled she looked at her roots, they were blue as well. That was just plain out and out weird.

Brushing her hair, Cody styled her hair and let it hang down, cascading down her back. Satisfied with how it looked, and still adjusting to the new streaks, Cody quickly slid into the pair of jeans and shirt. They were a bit big for her size 4 body, but still the loose fit felt good. Confining clothing was not what she wanted at the moment, she was afraid her already upset stomach would revolt.

"There we go, that's good enough for now." Cody muttered to herself smiling, the blue hues standing out against her golden blonde hair. Even though she was in University, she still had that wild streak in her, and now it was vibrantly displayed throughout her new and improved hair.

Walking out the door, Cody looked around curious. It appeared to be a normal house from an outsider's view, but someone would quickly note that everything seemed to be high tech, the latest in science and technological advancements. Sighing, she turned the corner and headed towards the smell of delicious food.

"Smells good… Is that chicken?" Cody muttered as she kept on walking, ignoring the stares from every worker she passed. Soon she was upon the dinning room, and entering it. Everyone had gathered there, with the exception of Victor Von Doom. With him not being there, Cody let loose a giant sigh of relief.

Doctor Reed Richards looked towards her, and smiled, waving his hand for her to come and join them. "Welcome, I see that you've woken up. I hope that you are feeling better. Please have a seat, we've just begun eating." Slowly he motioned to a seat near Johnny, and then went back to his own dish.

Groaning, Cody slowly made her way over to the seat, smiling at Ben and Sue, as she sat down. Her own bad luck had prevailed once again, and she was unfortunately next to the royal pain in the ass, Johnny Storm. "Is there any word in how long we're going to be staying here? Or how much trouble I'm going to be in?" Cody asked, grabbing some of the sandwiches that had been placed there before them and digging in.

Sue looked across the table, and placed down her fork, from the salad she was eating. "As to the trouble that you're in, Reed talked to the supervisors about your arrival and how fortunate that you were there or else Ben wouldn't have made it into the station. You're all clear. Just don't do it again. " Sue pinned Johnny in a stare, causing him to flinch. "The doctors say that we'll be held here overnight, for one more day of observation, and then we will all be released. Till then, we have to stay here. That goes for you as well, Johnny."

"Ya ya….I got it. Don't leave the area……Jeez, you're not mom, so don't even try to be her." Johnny said, standing up, shoving his chair away. "You mess up once, and everyone rags on you, can't we just leave NASA out of it for one moment?"

"NASA was the entire reason for you working now for Von Doom Enterprises Johnny! If you hadn't snuck those two giggling wenches, you'd still have a job there!" Sue struck out, her eyes watering. "All I'm asking for, if for you to keep things according to the rules! How hard is that? Ever since mom died, you have been out of control, and I've tried my best to make up for her being gone. You haven't done anything to make that any easier you know?"

Upset Susan stood up, pushing herself away from the table. Wordlessly, she looked over at Ben with regret in her eyes, as she walked away from the table. Cody could have sworn that she saw tears trailing down her face, as she walked by her, and out onto the patio deck.

Swearing softly underneath his breath, Johnny watched his sister's retreating form, and just shook his head. _Mom…_ That was always a touchy subject between the two siblings. He rebelled when his mother had died, while Sue had tried to take her place, and be the responsible motherly one. It didn't work, he didn't want to hear anything that his friends, family, or anyone for that matter. What ever they had said, it didn't bring her back from the grave, and it didn't do anything but just make him think of her even more.

She was always smiling, laughing. Always so full of life, with a zest for knowledge and a compassionate heart, that was his mother. An angel is what he compared her to when he was a small boy, now she truly was one. Damn, why did things have to get so complicated all of a sudden? Or maybe they always were, and he just never realized it.

Looking around Johnny noticed that everyone had remained silent, waiting to see what was happening. Frustrated beyond belief, he threw down his napkin, after wiping his mouth. "I'm out of here, I don't need this hassle anyways."

Walking away, Cody's eyes followed him, as he left the room. The table still was filled with an uneasy silence as Dr. Reed and Ben was still there, looking down at their plates with sudden extreme interest. Clearing her throat nervously, Cody looked at both of them, her gaze swinging from man to man.

"Are they always like this?" She inquired, curious to learn more about this group.

"Constantly."

"Just great….." Cody muttered, as Reed and Ben discussed what could have possibly gone wrong with the mission and his calculations. Listening half-heartedly Cody quickly finished up her meal, and the excused herself from the table, it was just too damn uncomfortable. "I think that I'll just go for a walk."

Getting up from the table, Cody waved good bye to the two gentlemen and headed in a random direction, wanting to explore the house that was privately owned by Victor. It was a highly technologically advanced house, everything top of the line. "Of course, why wouldn't he have perfection in his house?" Cody muttered cynically as she thought of her own tiny little apartment. It barely held only her in it. The room where she had been for the past four days was bigger that the living room and kitchen combined for crying out loud.

As Cody wandered, she finally found a door to the outside and headed out for a breath of fresh air. It was a beautiful day out, sunny and warm with the slightest hint of a breeze. Smiling, she walked out onto the patio and noticed a pool with one Johnny Storm in it, doing laps. Standing at the balcony, Cody watched as he did lap after lap around the pool, before she finally got enough courage to walk down there.

"Hey." Cody said as she approached the pool side unsure of what to do, or what his reaction would be to her. Hopefully thing's would be fine, and he wouldn't reject her presence there. "You alright?"

Johnny looked up as he came up for air noticing the slim figure of the young woman who had managed to stow aboard the space shuttle. Treading water, he slowly swam over to the edge of the pool where he could touch, and talk without having any other distractions. You alright, was what she had asked, and he honestly couldn't answer that truthfully.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be babe?" He retorted back as he pulled himself out of the water, his body glistening wet. "I'm always fine. Always."

Cody shook her head, trying not to get distracted by this man's body. Jesus! He was a regular Adonis with a body like that…..Wait now, let's get things back in control eh? It's not like he is the only man's body that you've seen. Gulping, Cody looked around at the patio furniture, and grabbed the towel laying there. A freezing cold sensation flew through her body, and she shook it off her mind. Nothing better than a cold gust of wind to cool her body's hormones she's always said. Handing it towards Johnny without looking at it, she let it hang in her hand for a while, before looking as to why he wouldn't take it.

"What's going on? Don't you want your towel…." Cody asked as she finally turned and looked at the towel in her hand. Ice shards glistened up at her, and she dropped the towel suddenly, shocked. A small scream was heard before she fainted completely, her body heading for the pool.

"What the hell?" Johnny muttered to himself as he looked at the frozen towel. It hung in Cody's hand with ice shards sticking out from it, a layer of ice completely covering the surface of it. When the towel dropped and a small high pitched scream was heard from Cody, it jogged him out of the lag. Her body dropping fast, as unconsciousness claimed her mind, Johnny reacted, stretching out his body to grab her before she hit the pool.

Picking her up in his arms was easy, as Cody's body couldn't have weighed any more than 110lbs in Johnny's arms. Her face was calm and serene in this state, but still didn't excuse the fact that his towel was frozen, and she had fainted. Reed would know what to do, he always did. Susie too. With that thought in mind he headed into the building looking for his companions.

"Reed! Sue!!! Somebody, I need your help!" He called out.

**End Chapter One.**

Authors Note: So what do you think? Good so far? Well please read and review!


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